Scheduled FTP & Database Export

hackersapien

Hi,

We currently have an online dedicated server where users can apply for jobs and attach their resumes, we have also setup a similar environment on our local machine for a system which we use to extract the applicants information and match it to the jobs we have.

Everyday we get an average of about 150-200 job applications which translates to the same number of resumes.

I need to be able to automate the process by which the resumes are downloaded everyday and stored on the local server and also schedule a database backup which should in essence export the database a set of sql statements which I can then run. The dedicated server has a PLESK interface which gives me access to the Cron Jobs interface, I just don't know how to proceed.

I'd appreciate any help from you guys out there..

Cheers

devinemke

PHP's FTP Functions will allow you to copy files from one server to the other. you could store all of the resumes in one directory on each server and spool the remote and local directories into two arrays and use [man]array_diff[/man] to figure out which ones need to be copied.

as far as the database backup: if you are using mySQL you can make a simple call to mysqldump or an even better approach would be to use Replication.

hackersapien

devinemke wrote:
PHP's FTP Functions will allow you to copy files from one server to the other. you could store all of the resumes in one directory on each server and spool the remote and local directories into two arrays and use [man]array_diff[/man] to figure out which ones need to be copied.

as far as the database backup: if you are using mySQL you can make a simple call to mysqldump or an even better approach would be to use Replication.

The PHP FTP Functions is a good idea but it doesn't address the issue of automating the whole process. If I develop an interface that means that I have to be their to execute the application for downloading the files from the online server, if am absent that means no download will occur.

As for the mysql suggestion you made, again the whole issue of automation pops up, human intervention is what we are trying to avoid, processes must continue running even with the absence of the web developer.

So am back to square one again..I know this is more of an administrative rather then development issue I've raised but am sure there are people in this forum who've faced similar situations so theyhave insight on how to proceed...

Thanks for responding..more help please..

devinemke

everything that i suggested in my original post could be run via a cronjob (which you already mentioned you have access to). you could write one PHP script that both copies the files via FTP and backs up the database and have it run every night at midnight via cron.

hackersapien

devinemke wrote:
everything that i suggested in my original post could be run via a cronjob (which you already mentioned you have access to). you could write one PHP script that both copies the files via FTP and backs up the database and have it run every night at midnight via cron.

devinemke,

Forgot to mention that I've never setup a cron job 😕 so I don't even know how to start!!..may be you could help me out...

devinemke

read up on cron. a simple example:

0 0 * * * /path/to/php.exe /path/to/script.php >/path/to/output.txt 2>/path/to/error.txt